The Galatians, a small Celtic tribe, once settled on the territory of present-day Turkey and were part of the vast Roman Empire.
This secretive and many-facetted novel relates neither of the isolated Galatian region, where witchcraft and magic exist,
nor of days gone by. In "Emperor of the Galatians" Mihajlo Kazic tells a universal story - universal in terms of time and
space at the same time contemporary. He carries off his reader into the almost impenetrable labyrinth of a world power.
A labyrinth of peoples, languages and eras between dream worlds and realities, the details of which appear to stem from all
epochs.
A colourful mix of peoples, inhabit this vast empire, all of them foreigners. Only born Romans, or those who have completed
the prolonged citizenship procedures, really belong. The novels central figure is the imperial education minister, José Alkorta.
"He's forever writing something. A real weirdo. When out for a stroll, he looks down at the ground, in the direction in which
he's walking. You just wait for him to trip over his feet." Alkorta is supposedly a Roman; but a taxi driver recognises him
as a Galatian. From now on he loses his rhythm.
The taxi driver arranges access for him to the secret correspondence of a Galatian. Here he reads that Emperor Boniface, the
supreme ruler of Rome and the rest of the world, will fall ill. Three young men will come from different points of the compass
to save him. "Nothing in life happens by chance. I must find these three young men", notes Alkorta as he walks along. This
attracts the interest of the enemy, the state security service, for the education minister. What possible reason could anyone
have for taking notes on the move?
Different threads of the story are woven into a thrilling tale, which deals principally with rancour, love and grief, but
which could also serve to provide material for a political thriller. The author constructs his novel however in a manner as
quiet and puzzling as the secret correspondence, which drew José Alkorta into the course of events in the first place.
At the heart of things, Mihajlo Kazic is concerned with the larger problems of European civilization. That is, the relationship
between power, rule and spirit; progress, knowledge and responsibility. About living together without oppression and war.
"We no longer have any faith in words!" This bitter sentence, which sounds like a capitulation, is the central theme of the
novel. At the end of the day, the emperor survives, although the cost was high.
